Carmen

A long-fruited cucumber for summer cropping in an unheated greenhouse or tunnel. Carmen is an all-female, parthenocarpic variety – for information on a cucumber's sex life click here – producing good yields of seedless fruit with spineless, tender skin and juicy, crunchy flesh. What’s more, the plants are highly resistant to powdery mildew, the scourge of cucumber growers.

Carmen not only eats well, but also looks great ­– so much so that it is a popular choice with exhibitors. All things considered, it is certainly a hard working cucumber that earns its place in the garden.